Watch for counting the pulse by sound or touch.



H. A. LUGR IN, DEGD. q. LUGBIN, ADMIRIBTRATBIX, v WATCH IORCOUNTING THEPULSE BY SOUND 0R TOUGH.

91 i I APlLIOATIOR' FILED JUHE IZ IQOS. Mar.

Tn: NORRIS PYETERSCOM WASHINGTON, bz'c.

UNITED STHTES PATENT OEFIOE.

HENRY A. LUGRIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; CHRISTINE LUGRIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK, ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID HENRY A. LUGRIN, DECEASED.

vVATf/H FOR COUNTING THE PULSE BY SOUND OR TOUCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed. June 12, 1908. Serial No. 438,024.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. LUGRIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at N ew York, in the borough of Broolo lyn,- county ofKings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Watches for Counting the Pulse by Sound or Touch, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in watches to be used byphysicians for counting the pulse, and more especially to a watch bywhich the pulse can be counted in the dark without looking at thesecondhand, either by sound or touch.

In many cases it is inconvenient to count the pulse in connection withthe movements of the second-hand of the watch, either at night or indimly-lighted rooms, or when the physician is shortsighted and cannotread oiI the seconds with the exactness required. The improved watchenables the physician to take the pulse in a dark room or in placeswhere it is impossible to make the observation of the watch by sight.

The object of the invention is to apply to the watch a comparativelysimple attachment by which the pulse may be taken either audibly bysound by holding the watch to the ear, or sensibly by touch by holdingthe watch in the hand and counting off the time and for this purpose theinvention consists of an attachment for watches by which a time-beatingmechanism indicating periods of time and causing the striking of a belland the actuation of a pusher is set in operation bv a setting mechanismoperated by the crown and stem of the movement, as will be fullydescribed hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a top-view of a watchwith the top-plate removed and showing my improved pulse-countingattachment in position of rest, Fig. 2 is also a top-view, showing themain operative parts on a larger scale and in their second or actuatedposition, and Fig. 3 is a detail vertical transverse section on line 3,3, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My improved attachment -l'or taking the pulse by sound or touch isapplied to the intermediate plate of the movement and inserted either innew watches or applied to old watches, as desired.

The attachment consists of a toothed driving wheel a which is fastenedto the arbor b of the fourth wheel b of the watchmovement. The drivingwheel a gears with a pinion c to the arbor of which is applied a snail dwhich acts during each rotation of the pinion on the outer end of afulcrumed hammer-lever c and gradually moves the same toward the extremeend of the snail. The short opposite end of the fulcrumed hammerlever eis acted upon by the free end of a fiat spring 6 and provided with acurved hammer-arm f which carries at its outer end a hammer f At eachfull rotation of the pinion c and snail d the fulcrumed andspringactuated lever e is quickly released from the snail (1, so thatthe hammer f at the outer end of the curved arm f strikes the free endof a bell g, which is formed of a circular steelrod that is located inand attached to the hollow interior portion of the center of thewatch-case. The mechanism described forms the time-beating or indicatingmechanism.

The pinion c is provided with six teeth and rotated by the drivinggear-wheel a, which has 36 teeth, so that the pinion is rotated sixeither to the proportion of 36 teeth to 6., or.

60 teeth to 10, is the most convenien nit for taking the pulse. As withevery ten seconds the snail makes one full rotation, the hammer-lever isgradually moved outwardly and then quickly released, and the bellsounded by the stroke of the hammer, so that the physician can readilycount the pulse by holding the watch to the ear and count the beats ofthe ulse between two successive strokes of the bell and then obtain thebeats per minute by multiplying the number of beats counted between thestrokes of the bell by six.

For setting the striking mechanism in position for taking the pulse, asetting mechanism is employed which is operated by the crown and stem ofthe watch. After pressing the crown down, it is necessary to keep it indepressed position until the pulse is taken. As soon as the crown isreleased, the setting mechanism is returned to its initial or normalposition and the actuation of the striking mechanism interrupted. Thesetting mechanism comprises an elongation 7L on the lower end of thestem h, which engages a nose i on the lower end of a fulcrumed andspring-actuated steadying lever t. The nose t bears against a pin iextending rearward from a pivoted arm i so that said arm may bedepressed, and said arm rests upon the upper shorter end of a curved,fulcrumed and spring-actuated lever Z. The longer end of the lever Zbears against a pin e on the shorter end of the hammer-lever e andnormally holds said hammer-.ever in inoperative position against astop-pin e in opposition to the spring 6 of said hammer-lever. hen thecrown is depressed the lever Z is moved away from the hammer-lever, asshown in full lines in Fig. 2, which permits the spring 6 to act on thehammer-lever and push its longer end into the path of the snail d,whereupon the hammer-lever and its hammer will be actuated. As soon asthe pressure on the crown is released, the starting mechanism isreturned to its initial position and the longer end of the hammer-leverreturned by the action of the lever Z into position against the stop-pin6 as shown in full lines in Fig. l and in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

For indicating the pulse by touch, a pusher n which is located near thehammer-end or the lever c is actuated simultaneously with the strikingof the bell g. The shank n of the pusher it passes through a perforationin the watch-case center to the outside of the same, being rounded offat the outer end. The pusher n is carried by a flat spring 71 which hasan eye at its free end and which is attached to the watch-case center atits opposite end. The head of the pusher n is located sidewise of thebell in such a manner that the hammer-head strikes the bell and pushesat the same time. When the watch is to be used for taking the pulse bytouch, the erown is depressed in the same manner as before, andsimultaneously with the sounding of the bell by the action of therotating snail, the hammer-lever is quickly actuated so as to cause thehammer-head to strike the bell and pusher. As the watch is held in thehand, the shank of the pusher is moved outwardly and pressed against thepalm of the hand holding the watch every ten seconds, thus enabling thephysician to count the pulse during two successive strokes of the hammerand the sudden pressure of the pusher-shank on the hand, and then findthe pulse per minute by multiplying the beats taken between twosuccessive actuations of the pusher by siX. As soon as the crown isreleased, the sounding of the bell and the actuations of the pusher areinterrupted and the operative parts of the time-beating and settingmechanisms returned to t. ieir normal or initial position, ready forrepeated use.

By the improved attachment physicians are enabled at a comparativelysmall extra expense to take the pulse of patients without the visibleobservation of the second-hand, either by sound by bringing the watch tothe ear and counting the beats of the pulse between two successivestrokes, or by touch by holding the watch in the hand and count ing thepulse between the strokes indicating by the pusher on the palm of thehand.

In place of applying the attaclnnent to a watch, it can also be made upas a separate device in connection with a watch-movement arranged in acase, but without the use oi a dial, hands and hand-setting mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with a watch-movement, of a gear-wheel on the arborof the fourth wheel, a pinion meshing with said gear-wheel, a snaildriven by said pinion, a sounding device, a hammer-lever normally heldout of the path of said snail, and means for moving said lever into thepath of the snail.

2. The combination, with watch-movement, of a gear-wheel on the arbor oithe fourth wheel, a pinion meshing with said gear-wheel, a snail drivenby said pinion, a sounding device, a hammerdever normally held out ofthe path of said snail, and means operated from the crown of the watchand operating only when the crown is depressed to move said lever intothe path of said snail.

3. The combination, with a watch-movement, and a sounding device, of asnail driven by the watch-movement, a hammer-lever normally held out ofthe path of the snail, and means operated from the watch-crown to movesaid lever into the path of said snail.

4. The combination, with a watch-move ment, of a snail drivei'i thereby,a sounding device, a hammer-lever, a lever acting on said hammerdever tonormally hold the same out of the pain of said snail, a spring tendingto hold said 1annner-lever in the path of said snail, and a connectionbetween said first-named lever and the watch-crown whereby thedepression of the latter permits said spring to act.

5. "he combination, with watch-move ment, 01 a sounding device, apusher, a hammer to actuate both of the same, and hammer-actuatingmechanism.

6. The combination, with a watch-movement, of a bell and pusher locatedin the hollow portion of the center of the watch-case, hammer mechanisminterposed between the fourth wheel of the movement and the ham.- mer,said mechanism consistin of a gear- Wheel on the arbor of the fourthwheel, a pinion meshing therewith, a snail on the arbor of the pinion, afulcrumed and springactuated hammer-lever actuated by the snail andprovided with a hammer-arm and hammer for striking the bell and pusher,and intermediate mechanism between the stem and hammer-lever for settingthe time-beating mechanism into operative position.

7. The combination, with a watch-movement, of a bell and pusher locatedin the hol low portion of the center of the watch-case, hammer mechanisminterposed between the fourth wheel and the bell and pusher, saidmechanism consisting of a gear-wheel on the arbor of the fourth wheel, apinion meshing therewith, a snail on the arbor of the pinion, and afulcrumed and spring-actuated hammer-lever provided with a hammer-armand hammer for striking the bell and pusher, and a starting mechanismbetween the stem of the movement and the hammer-lever for setting theactuating mechanism and permitting the taking of the pulse by sound ortouch. In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 havesigned my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. LUGRIN.

Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER.

